"For my name to be mentioned in that conversation, no one would have ever thought it," Donaldson said. "I'll take it."

Donaldson is the unquestioned MVP of a club that has the third-best record in the majors - and for the advanced-metrics crowd, he's second in the league in WAR (Wins Above Replacement) behind Trout.

"Right now, we're in a position to go to the postseason, and Josh is our MVP," outfielder Brandon Moss said. "That might not mean much to some people, but without him, it's hard to predict where we'd be right now.

"I don't think anyone doubts that Mike Trout is the best all-around player in the league, and I'm sure he's going to get his share of MVPs in the future. But when you carry your team to a postseason berth, that's pretty valuable. If you have value, you're going to get your team somewhere."

Donaldson, inexplicably snubbed for an All-Star spot, will be a contender for a Gold Glove award, but he's also unlikely to win; the Orioles' Manny Machado has been compared to Hall of Famer Brooks Robinson.

Briefly: Reliever Dan Otero flew to Arizona after the game for the birth of his first child. ... Brett Anderson (back spasms) is expected to be ready to pitch again Monday.

A's on deck

Monday

vs. Angels

7:05 p.m. CSNCA

Wilson (16-6) vs.

TBA

Tuesday

vs. Angels

7:05 p.m. CSNCA

Richards (7-6) vs.

TBA

Wednesdayvs. Angels

12:35 p.m. CSNCA

Vargas (8-7) vs.

TBA

Leading off

Lots of lefties: The A's right-handed-hitting lineup is getting a workout lately, with two opposing lefty starters at Texas, two more scheduled against the Angels (C.J. Wilson and Jason Vargas) and potentially two more against Minnesota (Andrew Albers and Pedro Hernandez).